Chronological Plan

¹After the plague the LORD said to Moses and Eleazar son of Aaron, the priest,

²“Take a census of the whole Israelite community by families—all those twenty years old or more who are able to serve in the army of Israel.”

³So on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho, Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them and said,

⁴“Take a census of the men twenty years old or more, as the LORD commanded Moses.” These were the Israelites who came out of Egypt:

⁵The descendants of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, were: through Hanok, the Hanokite clan; through Pallu, the Palluite clan;

⁶through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Karmi, the Karmite clan.

⁷These were the clans of Reuben; those numbered were 43,730.

⁸The son of Pallu was Eliab,

⁹and the sons of Eliab were Nemuel, Dathan and Abiram. The same Dathan and Abiram were the community officials who rebelled against Moses and Aaron and were among Korah’s followers when they rebelled against the LORD.

¹⁰The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them along with Korah, whose followers died when the fire devoured the 250 men. And they served as a warning sign.

¹¹The line of Korah, however, did not die out.

¹²The descendants of Simeon by their clans were: through Nemuel, the Nemuelite clan; through Jamin, the Jaminite clan; through Jakin, the Jakinite clan;

¹³through Zerah, the Zerahite clan; through Shaul, the Shaulite clan.

¹⁴These were the clans of Simeon; those numbered were 22,200.

¹⁵The descendants of Gad by their clans were: through Zephon, the Zephonite clan; through Haggi, the Haggite clan; through Shuni, the Shunite clan;

¹⁶through Ozni, the Oznite clan; through Eri, the Erite clan;

¹⁷through Arodi, the Arodite clan; through Areli, the Arelite clan.

¹⁸These were the clans of Gad; those numbered were 40,500.

¹⁹Er and Onan were sons of Judah, but they died in Canaan.

²⁰The descendants of Judah by their clans were: through Shelah, the Shelanite clan; through Perez, the Perezite clan; through Zerah, the Zerahite clan.

²¹The descendants of Perez were: through Hezron, the Hezronite clan; through Hamul, the Hamulite clan.

²²These were the clans of Judah; those numbered were 76,500.

²³The descendants of Issachar by their clans were: through Tola, the Tolaite clan; through Puah, the Puite clan;

²⁴through Jashub, the Jashubite clan; through Shimron, the Shimronite clan.

²⁵These were the clans of Issachar; those numbered were 64,300.

²⁶The descendants of Zebulun by their clans were: through Sered, the Seredite clan; through Elon, the Elonite clan; through Jahleel, the Jahleelite clan.

²⁷These were the clans of Zebulun; those numbered were 60,500.

²⁸The descendants of Joseph by their clans through Manasseh and Ephraim were:

²⁹The descendants of Manasseh: through Makir, the Makirite clan (Makir was the father of Gilead); through Gilead, the Gileadite clan.

³⁰These were the descendants of Gilead: through Iezer, the Iezerite clan; through Helek, the Helekite clan;

³¹through Asriel, the Asrielite clan; through Shechem, the Shechemite clan;

³²through Shemida, the Shemidaite clan; through Hepher, the Hepherite clan.

³³(Zelophehad son of Hepher had no sons; he had only daughters, whose names were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah.)

³⁴These were the clans of Manasseh; those numbered were 52,700.

³⁵These were the descendants of Ephraim by their clans: through Shuthelah, the Shuthelahite clan; through Beker, the Bekerite clan; through Tahan, the Tahanite clan.

³⁶These were the descendants of Shuthelah: through Eran, the Eranite clan.

³⁷These were the clans of Ephraim; those numbered were 32,500. These were the descendants of Joseph by their clans.

³⁸The descendants of Benjamin by their clans were: through Bela, the Belaite clan; through Ashbel, the Ashbelite clan; through Ahiram, the Ahiramite clan;

³⁹through Shupham, the Shuphamite clan; through Hupham, the Huphamite clan.

⁴⁰The descendants of Bela through Ard and Naaman were: through Ard, the Ardite clan; through Naaman, the Naamite clan.

⁴¹These were the clans of Benjamin; those numbered were 45,600.

⁴²These were the descendants of Dan by their clans: through Shuham, the Shuhamite clan. These were the clans of Dan:

⁴³All of them were Shuhamite clans; and those numbered were 64,400.

⁴⁴The descendants of Asher by their clans were: through Imnah, the Imnite clan; through Ishvi, the Ishvite clan; through Beriah, the Beriite clan;

⁴⁵and through the descendants of Beriah: through Heber, the Heberite clan; through Malkiel, the Malkielite clan.

⁴⁶(Asher had a daughter named Serah.)

⁴⁷These were the clans of Asher; those numbered were 53,400.

⁴⁸The descendants of Naphtali by their clans were: through Jahzeel, the Jahzeelite clan; through Guni, the Gunite clan;

⁴⁹through Jezer, the Jezerite clan; through Shillem, the Shillemite clan.

⁵⁰These were the clans of Naphtali; those numbered were 45,400.

⁵¹The total number of the men of Israel was 601,730.

⁵²The LORD said to Moses,

⁵³“The land is to be allotted to them as an inheritance based on the number of names.

⁵⁴To a larger group give a larger inheritance, and to a smaller group a smaller one; each is to receive its inheritance according to the number of those listed.

⁵⁵Be sure that the land is distributed by lot. What each group inherits will be according to the names for its ancestral tribe.

⁵⁶Each inheritance is to be distributed by lot among the larger and smaller groups.”

⁵⁷These were the Levites who were counted by their clans: through Gershon, the Gershonite clan; through Kohath, the Kohathite clan; through Merari, the Merarite clan.

⁵⁸These also were Levite clans: the Libnite clan, the Hebronite clan, the Mahlite clan, the Mushite clan, the Korahite clan. (Kohath was the forefather of Amram;

⁵⁹the name of Amram’s wife was Jochebed, a descendant of Levi, who was born to the Levites in Egypt. To Amram she bore Aaron, Moses and their sister Miriam.

⁶⁰Aaron was the father of Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁶¹But Nadab and Abihu died when they made an offering before the LORD with unauthorized fire.)

⁶²All the male Levites a month old or more numbered 23,000. They were not counted along with the other Israelites because they received no inheritance among them.

⁶³These are the ones counted by Moses and Eleazar the priest when they counted the Israelites on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho.

⁶⁴Not one of them was among those counted by Moses and Aaron the priest when they counted the Israelites in the Desert of Sinai.

⁶⁵For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the wilderness, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.

¹The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward

²and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said,

³“Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sin and left no sons.

⁴Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”

⁵So Moses brought their case before the LORD,

⁶and the LORD said to him,

⁷“What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.

⁸“Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter.

⁹If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers.

¹⁰If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers.

¹¹If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.’ ”

¹²Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go up this mountain in the Abarim Range and see the land I have given the Israelites.

¹³After you have seen it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was,

¹⁴for when the community rebelled at the waters in the Desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes.” (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin.)

¹⁵Moses said to the LORD,

¹⁶“May the LORD, the God who gives breath to all living things, appoint someone over this community

¹⁷to go out and come in before them, one who will lead them out and bring them in, so the LORD’s people will not be like sheep without a shepherd.”

¹⁸So the LORD said to Moses, “Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit of leadership, and lay your hand on him.

¹⁹Have him stand before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly and commission him in their presence.

²⁰Give him some of your authority so the whole Israelite community will obey him.

²¹He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”

²²Moses did as the LORD commanded him. He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly.

²³Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses.